List the criteria a molecule that can act as genetic material must fulfill. Which one of the criteria are best fulfilled by DNA or by RNA thus making one of them a better genetic material than the other ? Explain.
Dear student,
The criteria of a molecule to act as a genetic material are:
1. The 2-OH group present at every nucleotide in RNA is reactive and makes RNA labile and degradable. But, DNA is less reactive and structurally more stable.
2. The presence of Thymine in place of Uracil in DNA confers it additional stability. One major problem with using uracil as a base is that cytosine undergoes deamination and gets converted into uracil. This is not a rare reaction; it happens around 100 times per cell, per day. This is no major problem when using thymine (as in the case of DNA), as the cell can easily recognize that the uracil doesn't belong there and can repair it by substituting it by a cytosine again.
Regards
The criteria of a molecule to act as a genetic material are:
- It should be present in all cells.
- It must be able to replicate.
- It must be able to store information in stable form.
- It must be able to express information.
- It must be able to pass characters from parent to offspring.
- It must allow variation by mutation.
1. The 2-OH group present at every nucleotide in RNA is reactive and makes RNA labile and degradable. But, DNA is less reactive and structurally more stable.
2. The presence of Thymine in place of Uracil in DNA confers it additional stability. One major problem with using uracil as a base is that cytosine undergoes deamination and gets converted into uracil. This is not a rare reaction; it happens around 100 times per cell, per day. This is no major problem when using thymine (as in the case of DNA), as the cell can easily recognize that the uracil doesn't belong there and can repair it by substituting it by a cytosine again.
Regards
